Friday, April 8, 2011

First/Last-Matt Holden & Dave Cerminara

Today I feature what could possibly be the luckiest band in Pittsburgh this weekend. Legs Like Tree Trunks are college students who are opening an extremely high profile free gig for Ke$ha on Sunday afternoon in the heart of Oakland. The band won the spot in a competition for musicians who attend Pitt. They take the stage at 1:30 (Ke$ha @3p.m.) and this should turn out to be a massive crowd for them to perform in front of. Get a taste of the band with a live radio session here. Bandmates Matt and Dave were cool enough to participate in this "dude, are all those people here for us?" installment of First/Last Friday.

The first album you ever bought?

Matt Holden: I think I traded a chocolate bar for one of my cousin’s Spice Girls cassette when I was five. Pretty sure I got swindled there. On my 13th birthday, my parents gave me OK Computer by Radiohead and Room on Fire by The Strokes. Those two records were and still are huge influences.

Dave Cerminara: I bought a Collective Soul record along with the Space Jam soundtrack all in the same trip to the mall when I was like 8. After that the next record I clearly remember buying was Full Collapse by Thursday when I was 12.

Your last album bought?

MH: School - Use Your Body Words

DC: Question - Standard Translation, and Cepia - S/T

Favorite album of all time?

MH: Always a tough question, but I have to go with Radiohead- In Rainbows. Dear And The Headlights- Drunk Like Bible Times is a very close second.

DC: Based on my ITunes "number of plays" list... At The Drive-In - Relationship of Command.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?

MH: Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice. Everything before that record is gold, but something happened and I could never get into their later stuff.

DC: Tie between Murs & 9th Wonder – Fornever, and The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth. Planet of Ice was a monumental let down for myself as well.

First concert attended?

MH: Someone took me to see The Casualties in middle school. I think I had only been in the U.S. for about 2 months at the time, so it freaked me out a little bit! To this day I have never seen so many red mohawks in one room.

DC: Goldfinger in the summer between 6th and 7th grade. I remember asking my sister during the first band if the whole show was going to be this loud cause it was bothering me...I was and probably still am a huge dork.

Last concert?

MH: Apart from house shows and bands we’ve played with, it was Twin Shadow at Brillobox.

DC: Poor But Sexy at Club Cafe...they fucking OWNED!!!! Most enjoyable set I've seen in a really long time.

Favorite concert ever?

MH: I saw Grizzly Bear play with the Brooklyn Philharmonic a few years back. That completely blew me away. Singlehandedly the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. Apart from that, the Cap’n Jazz reunion in Philly was awesome; I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d get to see them live.DC: Thursday at Metropol in September of 03. It was 3 days after War All The Time came out...I was way into that band when I was younger and still occasionally listen to their first 3 records.

Most disappointing concert?

MH: Broken Social Scene at Byham Theatre. I was pumped because I got out of work early and scalped a ticket for half price, but they just didn’t have the same energy they had the first time I saw them. I wanted another Kevin Drew stagedive during the peak of ‘It’s All Gonna Break,’ but it was a more reserved, seated affair.

DC: Thursday at Club Zoo in February of 2011...I went with a friend for nostalgia's sake and it was heart breaking to see the same band 8 years later and 8 years past their prime in my opinion...I left feeling old and pissed off at the 16 year olds with straightened hair...Just when you thought a bullshit scene aesthetic died, America's suburban youth slaps you in the face with reality.

Favorite thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?

MH: I really love the local music scene that’s developing in Oakland. Places like The Aviary are awesome. The guys that live there just took a whole bunch of foam from some old couches and put it up on the walls of their basement. Now they have all sorts of cool bands play every other Thursday. Also, I just love that everybody knows each other here; I’ve lived all over and Pittsburgh has a small town feel that I’ve never seen in any other city.

DC: Pittsburgh's a little city that thinks it's a big city...it has a total Napoleon complex that I absolutely love. I've grown up here and want to leave after college for a while, but still plan on spending the better part of my life in this city. Ask around and most people know most people, especially in the music scene, which is what I really love about this place.

Thanks fellas. Have a blast on Sunday. Any way you can score me a photo pass now that you're big time!